Cooking apparatus



'- Feb 11, 1941. J. D. FERRY COOKING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 20, 1937 2Sheets-Sheet 1 ff/a:

Feb. 11, 1941. FERRY 2,231,114

COOKING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 20, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 O I O O dOSEPHZZFEHP) f/ag Patented Feb. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES ("PATENT OFFICE 1COOKING APPARATUS Joseph D. Ferry, Harrisburg, Pa; Sylvia O. Ferryexecutrix of Joseph D. Ferry, deceased Application September 20, 1931,Serial No. 164,785

4 Claims.

This invention relates to food treating apparatus, particularly toapparatus designed for cooking vegetables of small bulk or in comminutedform, such as potato slices in producing potato chips. An apparatus ofthe general type to which this invention appertains is disclosed in myprior Patent No. 2,056,845, granted October 6, 1936.

This application is a continuation as to all 10 common subject matterdisclosed in my prior copending application Serial No. 114,054,1lledDecember 3, 1936.

In the cooking of potato chips, such factors as the rate of progressionof the slices through the 15 body of cooking liquid. the position ofindividual slices, the extent to which they are submerged in the liquidand the duration of such submergence, play an important part indetermining the quality of the product. If the slices do not re- 20ceive uniform treatment in the cooking operation the chips will vary asto color and crispness. It is highly desirable to produce chips ofsubstantially uniform character and appearance, especially as such chipsare marketed principally 25 in packages or containers of transparentmaterial.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cooking apparatushaving novel food impelling means for conveying articles of food 30through a body of cooking liquid and maintaining such articles uniformlysubmerged in the liquid while being conveyed. I

Another object is to provide in such an appar ratus a plurality ofserially arranged impellers adiustable in unison, or individuallyrelative to each other, to vary their effective food engaging andconveying angles relative to the major axis of travel of the foodarticles through the cooking liquid.

A further object is to provide potato chip cooking apparatus impellermeans operable to advance a mass of slices in a body of cooking liquidthrough a series of successive zones in each of which the slices areimpelled along forwardly and downwardly inclined paths while completedsubmerged; the zones being staggered whereby to effect a reversal of theslices in passing from one zone to the next.

A still further object is to provide impeller mechanism for potato chipcooking apparatus by which the slices are successively moved forwardlyand downwardly beneath the surface of a body of cooking liquid atintervals, whereby slices as they rise toward the surface of the liquidare car- (Cl. 53-7) H ried forwardly and downwardly ahead of thefollowing rising slices.

Other objects will be apparent from the description.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like partsthroughout the several views:

. Figure l is a side elevation, partly broken away, of a cookingapparatus embodying the present invention. 7

Figure 2 is a partial top plan view thereof, sectioned on line 2-2 ofFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of an impeller detail.

Figure 51s a fragmentary longitudinal section through a cookingapparatus equipped with an alternative structural embodiment ofimpeller.

. Figure 6 isa top plan view of the embodiment shown in Figure 5.

Figure "I is an enlarged fragmentary plan view illustrating a detail oithe impeller shown in Figures 5 and 6.

Figure 8 is a transverse section on the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

,The apparatus as shown comprises a cooking kettle ID of theconstruction disclosed in my aforesaid prior copending application,having an upwardly inclined bottom It at its outlet end associated withan endless belt foraminous conveyor l2 by which the cooked chips areremoved from the body of cooking liquid i3, such as oil, within thekettle. The kettle is heated by means not shown, and preferably has asloping bottom, also not shown, which increases in depth toward theoutlet end, all as disclosed in my aforesaid prior copendingapplication.

Along each upper longitudinal edge of the side walls of the kettle thereis suitably secured an angle rail it having its upper flange directedlaterally outward from the kettle and flush with the upper edge of thewall. Split bearings I! are secured to the lateral rail flanges atintervals spaced longitudinally of the kettle, arranged as a fixedpinion 20 at its end. The pinions mesh with pinions 1| fixed to stubshafts 22 driven by 55 v sprockets 23 and mounted in brackets 24arranged at the side of the kettle in the manner shown in Figure 2 of mysaid prior copending application Serial No. 114,054. Similar brackets25, only one of which is shown in Figure 2, carry idler sprockets 25 onstub shafts 21. A drive chain 28 is trained over the sprockets 23 and 26and over a sprocket 60 fixed to a transverse driving shaft 29 at theoutlet end of the kettle. Shaft 29 drives the belt conveyor l2 and hasfixed thereto a sprocket 30 driven by a chain 3| from a source of power,not shown. As the shaft 29 is rotated by means of its chain and sprocketconnection with the power source, it is obvious that the conveyor 12 andthe impeller drive shafts IE will be driven in unison.

Each impeller drive .shaft 16 mounts an impeller unit comprising a pairof transversely aligned side frames 32 pivotally suspended within thekettle from the shaft IE to swing in close proximity to the adjacentside walls of the kettle. In the embodiment herein disclosed each sideframe 32 is of substantially triangular configuration, comprising a fiatvertically disposed plate having at its base portion a rear leg 33extending in the direction of the inlet end of the kettle and a frontleg 34 extending in the direction of the outlet end. The tips of therearward legs 33 provide bearings in which is journalled a shaft 35transversely of the kettle. A sprocket 36 is fixed to the shaft 35inwardly of and in close proximity to each side plate. Similarly, thetips of the front legs 34 provide bearings for a transverse shaft 31having likewise fixed thereto sprockets 38. Sprockets 39 are fixed tothe drive shaft 16 to cooperate with the sprockets 36 and 38; the threesprockets 36, 38 and 39 adjacent each side frame 32 being in a commonvertical plane and having trained thereoveran endless chain 40. Impellerpaddles in the form of channel irons M are secured to the chains inclosely spaced relation over the entire extent of the chains with theside flanges 42 of the channels being directed outwardly.

The channel paddles 4! are smured to the chains in the manner shown inFigure 4. One side piece of every other link in the chain is formed withan integral ear directed laterally to provide a perpendicular attachinglug 43 to which the bottom of a channel 4| is attached, as by a rivet44.

As best shown in Figure 3, each side frame plate 32 is integrallycontinued above its point of pivotal suspension from its shaft 16 as alaterally offset upstanding lever 45. The offset is laterally outwardlyof the kettle so that each lever 45 is disposed over the adjacent siderail 14, thus providing sufficient clearance for the ends of the channelpaddles II which extend from the sides of the chains almost to theadjacent side walls of the kettle in order to prevent passage of potatoslices around the ends of the impeller paddles. Lifting handles 46 arecarried by the upper ends of the levers so that when the split bearingsof any impeller unit are swung open as previously described, the entireunit may be lifted vertically from the kettle for cleaning or repair.

At one side of the kettle each impeller unit lever 45 is connected tothe next adjacent unit lever by a turnbuckle rod 41 pivotally connectedat its ends to the. respective levers and adjustable by means of theturnbuckle 48 to vary its length. At one end of the kettle a controllever 49 is mounted for releasable latching engagement with a quadrant50 in a known manner, and an actu-' ator rod 5| is pivotally connectedat one end to the control lever and at its other end is pivotallyconnected to the adjacent impeller unit lever 45. It will be obviousthat as the control lever is manipulated the respective impeller unitlevers 45 5 will be correspondingly oscillated on their pivot fulcrumscomprising the shafts 16 to move in unison and through identical arcs ofmovement.

The setting of any impeller unit relative to its axis of rotation may beindividually altered rela- 10 tive to the setting of the other units byadJusting the turnbuckles 9 to shorten or increase the length of therods 41 to the required degree.

In the form of impeller shown in Figures 5 to 8 all structural detailsidentical with those prevll5 ously described are identified by the samereference characters, rendering repetition'of' descrip tive matterunnecessary. In this embodiment the impeller paddle structure differs,the channeled paddles being replaced on the chains In by an endlessforaminous belt, preferably a wire fabric belt 52, The manner ofattaching the belt 52 to the chains 40 is shown in Figures 7 and 8. Atsuitably spaced intervals certain links of the chains 48 have their sidepieces provided with a laterally extending lug 53 apertured forconnection with an eye 54 at the outer end of a pin 55 woven laterallyinwardly through the meshes of the fabric at the side edges of the belt,thus providing a flexible connection between the belt and chains, andone that is readily detachable.

An important feature of the invention resides in the fact that the axesof the parallel shafts 35 and 31 in the leg portions of each impellerunit are disposed normally in a plane that is inclined 30 or angled withrespect to the horizontal axis of the travel of the potato sliceslongitudinally of the kettle from inlet to outlet. In this normaloperating position of the parts, as shown in Figures l and 5, theimpeller unitlevers 45 are in a vertical position, the front leg cariiedshafts 31 being but very slightly below the level of the cooking liquidand the rear leg carried shafts 35 being disposed appreciablythereabove. Due to the position of the. shafts 31 the lower flight of 45each endless impeller will enter the cooking liquid at a downwardly andforwardly inclined angle approximately midway between the sprockets'36and 38 and will be completely submerged beneath the liquid at thesprockets 38 of the forward leg portions of the side frames.

The path of travel of the lower flight of the impeller is parallel to aplane passed through the axes of the shafts 35 and 31 in each impeller55 unit. The drive of the mechanism is such that the impeller driveshafts and drive sprockets are rotated clockwise with respect to Figures1 and 5 so that the impellers move the mass of slices forwardly throughthe kettlein the direction of 0 the arrows in Figure 1, from inlet endto outlet end, positively'engaging the uppermost slices and moving themwhile so engaged forwardly and downwardly beneath the cooking liquid andat the same time sliding the uppermost slices over and ahead of thosebeneath.

This action of the impellers effectively insures against stratificationof the slices and prevents agglomeration. Also, it assures complete anduniform submergence of all the slices as they travel through the kettle,giving a uniform product.

It is further a feature of the invention that the impeller units areserially arranged longitudinally of the kettle in end to endrelationship,

the ends of the units being somewhat spaced apart. a

By virtue of this arrangement the mass of slices are movedforwardthrough the kettle through 5, successive zones in each of whichthey are totally and uniformly submerged in the cooking liquid and arepositively moved forwardly and downwardly. These zones are spaced apartby turning zones in which the slices are permitted to rise to 10, thetop of the cooking liquid in the areas between the points at which theendless impellers leave the cooking liquid and the points at which thenext forward impellers enter the liquid.

The'impetus given the slices as the impellers leave the cooking liquidcombined with their upward rise through buoyancy serves effectively tocause the slices to turn over between the time they pass from beneathone impeller and the time they are engaged by the next.

: The rate of progression of the slices as well as the depth andduration of their complete subm'ergence may be regulated at variouspoints in the kettle by individual adjustment of the setting of theimpeller units. For example, with referonce to Figure 1, the righthandimpeller unit may be swung on its axis of rotation on the shaft l6 bymanipulating the turnbuckles 48 either to depress or elevate the forwardend of the unit to I increase or decrease the angle of inclination atwhich the lower flight of the endless impeller enters the cooking liquidand thus correspondingly alter the depth to which the impeller submergesthe shoes as well as the duration of submergence.

"'35 Likewise, the setting of all units may be 9.1-

tered in unison by appropriate manipulation of the control lever 48,whereby each unit moves simultaneously and identically. This adjustmentmay be accomplished without affecting the con- -40 tinuous operation ofthe impellers as the unit frames 32 swing freely on the shafts i8independently of the rotation of the shafts while driving the sprockets39.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: v e

1. A food treatiim apparatus comprising a receptacle for treatingliquid, a series of endless belt food impellers therein with their lowerflights submerged at the front end beneath the liquid and elevated atthe rear end above the liquid, and each of said impellers beingadjustable relative to the others to vary the extent of submergence oftheir lower flights.

2. A food treating apparatus comprising a receptacle for treatingliquid, a series of endless top, a frame freely rotatable on said shaftand pivotally suspended therefrom within the kettle, said frame havingoutward lateral offsets extend- -ing over and above the sides of thekettle, a

lever on the outer ends of the offsets and clear of the kettle interior,an endless belt impeller carried by said frame within the kettle inoperating connection with said shaft, and means on said frame guidingthe lower flight of the impeller at an angle down beneath the surface ofthe oil from a point thereabove.

4. In a cooking apparatus, a kettle for cooking oil, a, driven shaftsupported across the kettle top, a frame comprising a. pair of planarsubstantially triangular side plates pivotally and freely suspended attheir apex portions from said shaft and depending within the kettleclosely adjacent the side walls thereof, shafts connecting the ends ofthe base portions of said plates and parallel to said top shaft, 9.sprocket fixed on said driven top shaft, sprockets on said base portioncarried shafts, all said sprockets being disposed inwardly of said sideplates, endless chains .trained over said sprockets, said side platesbeing continued above their apices in outwardly directed laterallyoil'set portions above and over the sides of the kettle, frame positionadjusting levers carried by said ofl'set portions, and a .series ofclosely spaced parallel impeller members secured to said chains andextending transversely thereof entirely across the kettle interior, the

ends of said impellers overlying the base ends of said side plates andtheir oil'set apex portions and terminating in very slightlyspacedrelation from the side walls of the kettle.

Josnrn D. FERRY.

